A Unified Analysis of Copula Constructions in LFG

In this paper we maintain that a unified analysis of the copula constructions in LFG is necessary to capture syntactic generalizations. We discuss the various options available in the LFG literature and investigate their feasibility in order to arrive at the most appropriate representation. In doing so, we make use of the concepts and mechanisms already available in the framework of LFG without violating any fixed conditions or breaking with any established conventions. The conclusion we reach is that the different strategies employed in the predicational structures are language-specific variations that basically express the same grammatical function. We assume that the copula complement is a closed function, i.e. PREDLINK, which can account for almost all the different constituents that can occupy the predicate position.